Art and Sold
by Parsec
Summary: Bubbles' crayon drawings...the new trend in modern art?
1. Chapter 1

**__**

Art and Sold

By: Mark J. Hadley

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****

CHAPTER 1

The City of Townsville…site of this year's New Artists Convention, a gathering of artists from around the country to show off their works in a single huge exhibit. The large gallery varied widely, everything from statues to paintings, from the realistic to the abstract. This was a chance for them to reveal their newest works to the public, and the chance to start a new artistic trend.

But most importantly of all, multi-millionaire art aficionado Arthur Rooles is always in attendance to this convention. Mr. Rooles was well known throughout the art community as a huge trendsetter; he _always_ singled out the most daring or original pieces of art, and news of that artist's success would spread far and wide. So naturally, everyone was excited when Mr. Rooles showed up in Townsville, heading off to the convention. His reactions _weren't_ very pleased, however…

"Dull," he said, walking down the corridor of art and casting a disdainful glance at the paintings on the wall. Mr. Rooles was a tall man with brown hair and eyes, and was elegantly dressed in a tuxedo for the occasion. He continued, mostly to himself, "No imagination…no fire. I swear, the artists lose a bit of their soul each year."

There was a man walking just behind him, with white hair and blue eyes; he also wore a simple gray suit. The man nodded in agreement with Mr. Rooles and said, "Yes, sir."

"I'm sick and tired of the same old thing, Jenkins," Mr. Rooles said. "I want something different…but _these_…" He hesitated and took a close look at a painting of a bowl of fruit. "Look at that…no concept. It's just another still life. How _boring_. I'd better find something to make this trip worthwhile, or this'll be the _last_ year I go to this thing…"

Elsewhere in the gallery, a different group of people was admiring the art they saw: Professor Utonium and the Powerpuff Girls. The professor had decided that the girls needed to be exposed to a little more culture, so when the convention came to Townsville, he decided to take them to see the exhibits. Stopping in front of one painting, just solid white with a few black lines crossing it, he said, "Impressive artistry, don't you think?"

"You've gotta be kidding," Buttercup scoffed. "_Look_ at it! Did they do that in, like, ten seconds or something? I can't believe people _pay_ for this stuff…"

Blossom shrugged, "I don't think anything's wrong with it. Professor, that'd look great in the hallway, don't you think?"

"Come to think of it, you're right," the professor nodded. He stepped forward and took a closer look at the price, and slapped a hand to his forehead, "Wha? Four thousand dollars?!"

Blossom scratched her head and said, "Welllll…actually, that _is_ a little pricey, isn't it? What do you think, Bubbles?" She looked around, and noticed that Bubbles had taken a seat on one of the benches nearby. Her crayons were out, and she was doodling on some paper. "Bubbles, we didn't come here to play around, we came here to learn…"

"I know," Bubbles said. "But I just felt like coloring!"

The professor grinned, "Well, at least _someone's _being inspired by all this."

Buttercup sighed in frustration, "We've been looking at this junk for almost an _hour_. Can we go already?" When the professor shook his head, she folded her arms and grumbled to herself.

Bubbles finished drawing, and held it up, "There! How's that?" The drawing was probably supposed to be the professor and the other girls standing in front of the painting they were just looking at, although it was done rather quickly, and amounted to little more than stickfigures.

"That's great, sweetie," the professor said with a smile. "But we should get back to looking at the exhibits now. We still have the sculpture exhibit to look at."

Bubbles nodded and got up, hovering back over to them. As she did, Mr. Rooles came into their section of the exhibit, still looking around in disgust at the art he saw. His expression was not unlike Buttercup's. However, he spotted the girls in the distance and froze in shock, then jogged quickly over to them, waving his arm, "Little girl!"

"Hm?" Bubbles said, looking over at him. "Me?"

"That's right," he said, stopping next to her. He pointed at the drawing in her hand and said, "May I see that?" Bubbles hesitated, then raised the drawing up, offering it to him. He took it and looked it over, while the professor and the other girls walked over curiously.

"Ah…mister…?" Bubbles started to say.

"Rooles," he finished for her, not taking his eyes off the drawing. "Arthur Rooles. My goodness…this is _brilliant_…"

"Huh?" Bubbles said, not understanding.

"What a style," Mr. Rooles said in amazement. Jenkins finally caught up with Mr. Rooles through the crowd and stepped up next to him. Other artists and critics noticed him studying the drawing and started to gather around as he spoke, "Minimal, fluid strokes…no straight edges or balance…simple choice of colors, sticking to the primaries…and the message! Why, looking at this…despite the turbulence you imply from the rough strokes, the whole thing has a sense of inner peace and tranquility! It's like looking upon the world through the eyes of a child…"

Bubbles managed to say, "Um…I _am_ a child…"

"That doesn't matter…what matters is that you got the _feeling_ across!" he exclaimed. "It's fantastic! Such a gifted, talented artist…" Bubbles glanced over at the professor and the other girls. Blossom shrugged back at her. Before Bubbles could say anything else, he asked, "What is your name, little girl?"

"Oh…uh….Bubbles," she answered.

"Bubbles," he said, finally lifting his eyes from the drawing. "I _must_ have this work of art! I'll pay you ten thousand dollars for it…"

The whole crowd gasped when they heard this. All three of the girls _and_ the professor shouted simultaneously, "_Ten_ _thousand dollars?!_"

Almost before they had even finished saying it, Mr. Rooles handed the drawing over to Jenkins, who handed him a checkbook in return. He filled out a check and tore it out from the book, holding it out towards her, "Do we have a deal?"

Bubbles just gaped, staring at the check. She stammered, "I-I…I…" She looked back at the others. The professor looked like he was about to faint, and Blossom's expression was frozen in astonishment. Buttercup, though, was nodding wildly as if to say, 'What are you waiting for? Take it!' She looked back at Mr. Rooles and slowly reached out, taking the check.

"Splendid!" Mr. Rooles said happily. He grabbed her free hand and shook it vigorously, saying, "I am honored and awed to be in the presence of such a master of art…" With that, he and Jenkins turned and started out of this section of the exhibit…he took the drawing he had just purchased back from Jenkins and raised it up to admired it some more on the way out.

Half of the crowd followed the two of them out, while the other half circled Bubbles. They were chattering excitedly, asking all kinds of questions, about what other art she's done, what her inspiration was, and so forth. She could barely hear them, though. She was staring at the check in her hand, double-checking and triple-checking the amount written on it. Ten thousand dollars…

**__**

TO BE CONTINUED


	2. Chapter 2

**__**

Art and Sold

By: Mark J. Hadley

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****

CHAPTER 2

"So, what are you going to do with all that money?" Blossom asked.

The Powerpuff Girls were in the backseat of the car, heading for home. Bubbles sat between the other two, still staring at the check in shock. "I don't know…" she said. "There really isn't…I can't think of…I mean…"

"Well, c'mon, you _know_ you're gonna hafta _buy_ somethin' with it," Buttercup told her. "You've got _ten thousand dollars_ there! You can buy almost _anything_…you gotta live a little, ya know? Buy all the stuff that you've wanted, but couldn't get before…"

Blossom shook her head, "No, she shouldn't spend _all_ of it. She should put some of it away for safekeeping, right, Professor?"

From the front seat, the professor replied, "That's right. It's good preparation for the future. Why, ten thousand dollars would be almost enough for a whole year of college…"

"College _later_," Buttercup demanded, "Toys and stuff _now!_"

Bubbles thought about it for a few moments, and her expression brightened, "You know, you're right…both of you. I'll keep some of it and spend some of it. Is that all right?"

"Of course, sweetie," the professor nodded. "It's your money, after all…you earned it." Buttercup smirked and thought, _Yeah, earned it by scribbling with crayons for one minute…_

The car pulled up towards their house…as they did, the professor jammed on the brakes, screeching the car to a halt. A huge crowd of people were in their driveway and on their lawn, looking like they were waiting for them to arrive. "What the…?" the professor exclaimed.

"Who are all these people?" Blossom asked, peering out the window.

Without a place to park on the driveway, the professor parked the car out by the curb instead. The crowd of people waited excitedly as Buttercup got out first, grinning a little, "I dunno what we did…but I like the attention." Blossom got out from the car behind her and nodded in agreement.

When Bubbles came out, though, the crowd cheered and ran forward, passing right by both Buttercup and Blossom to surround her. Everyone was talking at once…

"Powerpuff Girl Bubbles! It's it true that you…"

"Bubbles! Are you going to make any more…"

"I have a request from an influential…"

"Hey, Bubbles! I must have your next…"

Bubbles took a deep breath and shouted, "_Everyone, QUIET!_" The crowd settled down, and Bubbles continued in a normal volume again, "What's going on?"

One man in the front said, "Bubbles, we just learned that the great Arthur Rooles purchased one of your artworks! The community just wants to know: how do you feel about this, and do you plan on making any more?"

Bubbles was a little overwhelmed by the attention, but decided to make the most of it. She said, "Well, I feel pretty good about it, I guess…and yes, I draw all the time, why?"

"We'd like to feature your works at our museum of modern art," he said. "We'll gladly pay you for them, of course."

At this, Bubbles began to think, _Wait a minute…so, the more drawings I make, the more _money_ I make too?_ She suddenly realized the potential of this whole art thing, and smiled. With a little bit of a flourish, she took out her crayons and a piece of paper and sat down right on the sidewalk to draw. Everyone crowed around her to see better.

Everyone but Blossom and Buttercup, that is. They glanced at each other, and then up at the Professor. He looked concerned and said, "I don't know about all this. It's great that there are people that want to buy Bubbles' drawings, but I'm worried that it might not be the right thing for her…"

Blossom shrugged, "So she's becoming a famous artist. What harm can it do? She's still the same old Bubbles, after all. She'd _never_ let fame and fortune go to her head, you'll see."

At that moment, Bubbles stood up from the ground, holding up the drawing she had just completed, a picture of a car parked in front of a house. "My next masterpiece!" she called out, "Who wants to buy it?" Instantly, people started calling out 'bids' on it: two thousand, three thousand, thirty-five hundred, and so on.

Buttercup watched this and remarked, "I hope you're right, Blossom…"

* * *

After the crowd finally dispersed outside, Bubbles flew upstairs to join her sisters in their room. Both of them looked over as she entered, and Buttercup said, "It's about time…you were out there for a few hours!"

"Yeah, and look!" she exclaimed. She flew over to the bed and set down a stack of papers she was holding. They were a bunch of checks; none of them were more than the one Mr. Rooles had given her, but they obviously totaled up a lot higher than ten thousand dollars.

"Whoa…" Blossom said, counting it up. "You've got almost…almost forty thousand dollars here!"

Bubbles was hopping up and down and babbling excitedly, "I know! Isn't it great, isn't it great?! I can buy anything I want now an' that's not all 'cause the guys said they'd be back for more an' that means I can keep drawing more pictures an' sell them for more money an'…"

"Settle down, settle down!" Blossom said. "Look, you have enough to put away for _several_ years of college now…and if you put it in the bank, by the time you're older, you'll have even _more_, so I think you should just…"

"But I can buy _anything I want_ with this!" Bubbles interrupted.

Buttercup nodded, "That's the spirit, Bubbles!" She looked over at Blossom at added, "Ya see? There's nothin' wrong with spending some of it! She's got _plenty!_"

Before Blossom could protest, the professor walked in the door, and Blossom said, "Professor, maybe _you_ can talk some sense into Bubbles…"

"She sold more of her drawings out there," the professor said, "and for quite a large sum of money as well. I agree with Blossom…you should really put that money in the bank, Bubbles. You can spend a _little_ of it, but I recommend saving it. That's the best thing to do."

"Baloney!" Buttercup said, waving her arms. "C'mon, Bubbles…isn't there anything you really want?"

"Wellll…" Bubbles said, smiling slowly, "…I've always…wanted a pony…"

The professor shook his head, "Absolutely not. You're too young to take care of a pony. It's a lot of responsibility…it's not just a toy that you can play with and toss aside in to the closet, you know. Plus, we'd need a fence to keep it in and…"

Before he finished, Bubbles had dug out one of the checks she received and held it out, "How 'bout if I pay you two thousand dollars? Will you let me then?"

The other girls stared at her. The professor was a little taken off-guard, and stammered, "Well…I…uh…"

"Or," Bubbles suggested, "I could just go out with this and buy you those golf clubs you always wanted…" She smiled knowingly.

"W--…okay!" he said, his expression brightening. Bubbles giggled, and thought, _That was easy! I think I'm going to like being a famous artist! Just think…my very own pony…hey, I'll draw a picture of that! And sell it later on!_

She sat down immediately and began drawing the pony with her crayons. The professor left the room in a hurry to call the mayor and meet him for a game of golf later on, but both Blossom and Buttercup just stood there. They glanced at each other again, and they were both thinking the same thing: maybe all this fame and fortune _was_ going to her head…

**__**

TO BE CONTINUED…


	3. Chapter 3

**__**

Art and Sold

By: Mark J. Hadley

* * *

****

CHAPTER 3

"Look, there she is!"

The crowd started applauding as Bubbles flew down the corridor of the museum. She was wearing a pair of sunglasses and smiling, and she waved at people in the crowd as she made her way to the exhibit everyone was gathered around to see. Reaching it, turned to face the crowd and held her hands out to get their attention, and to quiet them down.

"Ladies and gentlemen," she said, reaching over and taking hold of a pull rope next to a set of drapes hanging on the wall. "I give you…'Townsville'!" Pulling the rope, the drapes pull opened up, unveiling what was behind them: a large framed picture of Townsville, as drawn by Bubbles. The crowd gave oohs and ahhs at it, and another appreciative round of applause went up.

The crowd split up after this was done, most of the people moving to get a closer look at Bubbles' latest masterpiece. Amongst them were Blossom and Buttercup, who stared up at the drawing incredulously. "I don't get it," Buttercup said. "What do people _see_ in this? It's just scribbles!"

"I really don't know…" Blossom admitted.

Someone standing next to them overheard their conversation and said, "Don't you _get_ it? These 'scribbles', as you call them…they're emotion, observation, and innovation in its purest, unrefined form! Yet we can still see and understand them, because they form shapes amongst the chaos…"

"But _crayon?_" Buttercup protested.

"The medium doesn't matter," the man continued. "What matters is that her heart and soul have been poured into her work, and are shown for all to see! How could you not see this? What are you even _doing_ here, if not to admire her work?!"

Before they could say anything, Bubbles flew down next to them, placing a hand on each of her sister's shoulders, "It's okay," he said to the man. "They're with me." The man nodded and wandered back off into the crowd.

Blossom turned to her and said, "Bubbles…don't you think this is getting a little out of hand?"

"Yeah," Buttercup agreed. "I mean, it's cool that you're makin' all this money and stuff, but geez…these art nuts are so _edgy_ about anyone saying anything _bad_ about your drawings."

"That's only because they can appreciate how _good_ they are," Bubbles said with a confident smile.

"Well, they're pretty good," Blossom said. "But, I mean, they _are_ just doodles…"

Bubbles folder her arms and said, "Hmph. Well, no need to make fun of them just 'cause you're jealous."

"What?!" Blossom exclaimed.

"You heard me," Bubbles nodded. "You're green with envy, that's all…if you were any more green, you'd be Buttercup."

"Now hold on a minute!" Buttercup said, getting angry. "I'm not jealous of you! I can draw just as well as _you_ can!"

Blossom was a little upset too, but she was more concerned than anything. She said, "Listen, Bubbles…maybe you should forget about this whole art thing. This isn't like you at all!"

"_Forget_ about it?!" Bubbles shouted. "No way! I'm getting fame _and_ fortune, and I'm not just gonna give it up! And all this money…I feel like I can do _anything_ with it!"

"That's just it," Blossom said. "It's like you're on some kind of power rush here…"

Bubbles laughed, "Look who's talkin', Miss Bossy Leader Girl…"

Buttercup almost snickered at that, but she was still a little upset, so she didn't. Blossom, on the other hand, grew even more upset and said, "Money can't get you _everything_, you know. You've also got to have…"

Cutting her off, Bubbles withdrew a large wad of bills and said with a smirk, "I'll give you five hundred dollars if you give me your hairbow right now. Whaddaya say?"

Blossom froze…part of her knew that this was wrong, and that she'd just be proving Bubbles right, while another part of her reminded her she could always get a new bow, and of the _good_ she could do with the money. Thankfully, she didn't have to decide, as Buttercup stepped between the two of them and said, "That's enough, Bubbles. Just go back to your little group of followers, then, if it means so much to ya. C'mon, Bloss…"

The two of them turned and flew out of the room, heading for the exit. As they went, Buttercup said, "You were gonna give her the bow, weren't ya?"

"No!" Blossom said, then hesitated. "Well, maybe…"

As they disappeared into the crowd, Bubbles watched them go. For a moment, her expression turned regretful…but then, some people came up and wanted to take a picture with her, so she broke into a smile and posed with them for the camera…

* * *

Later on, back at home, Bubbles was at the kitchen table, hard at work making her newest artistic masterpieces. Blossom and Buttercup were upstairs, but only for the moment, as the hotline in the living room suddenly buzzed. In twin flashes of light, both of them dashed downstairs, and Blossom answered the phone.

"Hello, Mayor?" she said. After a pause, she answered, "Ok, we're on it." Hanging up the receiver, she shouted, "Trouble downtown. Let's go!"

Both of them started flying for the front door, when they stopped…Bubbles was still at the table drawing. Buttercup said, "C'mon, Bubbles…move it or lose it!"

"But I'm busy!" Bubbles called back. "I hafta have these finished by tonight…"

Blossom was angry now, "It's an emergency! What are you going to do, stop fighting crime because of all of this?"

"Who's gonna stop fighting crime?" came the reply. "I'm just too busy to go right now, that's all."

Buttercup frowned, "Yeah, sure, but what about the next time? An' the _next_ time? 'Sides, we're a _team_, Bubbles."

"Well," Bubbles replied, focusing on her drawing again, "what's so important that all _three_ of us need to be there?"

"A robbery at the museum," Blossom told her. "So if you truly cared about art like you say…"

Bubbles looked up from her drawing for a moment, "The museum?"

"That's right," Blossom answered.

Bubbles hesitated, and then set her crayons down with a serious expression. "Let's go," she said, and flew up from the table to join her sisters. The three of them headed out together, heading for the museum. _Well, at least she's still going to fight crime with us, _Blossom thought, _but for how long?_

**__**

TO BE CONTINUED…


	4. Chapter 4

**__**

Art and Sold

By: Mark J. Hadley

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****

CHAPTER 4

The Powerpuff Girls arrived at the museum. The telltale hole blasted in the main doors was proof enough that it _had_ been broken into, so they flew inside immediately. Nothing seemed to have been from the main hall, so Blossom quickly ordered, "All right…spread and search. They might still be here."

Each of them headed off into a different wing of the museum. Buttercup cut through part of the modern art exhibit, and shook her head. _Nothing taken,_ she thought. _Not that I blame 'em. Who'd _want_ any of this? _One painting caught her eye, though, a depiction of a series of explosions. She glanced around for a minute, then went up close and admired the painting. _Well_, she thought, _I guess _some_ of it's pretty cool._

Blossom wasn't having any luck, either. As far as she could tell, as she passed through the sculpture exhibits, not a single thing was out of place. Everything remained completely untouched. "Very strange," she said aloud. "Who breaks into a museum but doesn't steal anything?"

A loud, high-pitched scream came from the distance. _That sounds like Bubbles!_ Blossom thought…she quickly dashed off in the direction of it, calling out, "Bubbles! What's wrong?"

"Townsville's _gone!_" she called back.

Blossom passed a window on her way over there and glanced through it…outside, the city looked all right to her. Confused, she finally reached the room where Bubbles was hovering, staring at the wall. Buttercup came in from the other room and said, "What do you mean?"

Bubbles pointed at the empty spot on the wall, "My drawing…'Townsville'…it's gone!" Sure enough, she was pointing at the place where her drawing had been unveiled earlier that day. Buttercup shook her head in frustration.

"That's awful…" Blossom said.

"Yeah," Buttercup remarked sarcastically. "Really awful."

Bubbles spun to face her and shouted, "Hey! Cut it out! How'd you like it if _you_ worked a long time on something, and someone stole it?"

"Look, Bubbles…" Blossom said. "We know you're really protective of your art, and I'd be angry if something of _mine_ was stolen, too…but it's only a crayon drawing. You can just make more, right?"

"But that one was the museum's!" Bubbles said, "They haven't paid me yet for it, an' if I don't get the picture back, I'm not gonna get the money for it!"

Buttercup cringed a little, "Ouch…well, _that's_ a bummer…"

"All right," Blossom said, "look for clues…do we have any idea who might have taken it?"

"No idea, except…wait a minute…" Buttercup said, cutting herself off. She flew down and picked up something from the ground nearby, a long black hair. She held it up for the others to see and said, "Look familiar?"

"That looks like one of Mojo's," Blossom remarked. "But…what's he doing stealing art? That's not like him…"

Bubbles looked pretty upset and shouted, "Who cares? If he's got my drawing, let's go _over_ there, beat the stuffing out of him, and get it _back!_" She looked over at Buttercup, who shrugged back at them with a 'sounds-good-to-me' look.

"Welll…" Blossom said reluctantly, "I guess it _is_ the next logical place to look. All right, then…to the observatory, on the double!" The three of them quickly dashed out from the museum, on their way to Townsville park…

* * *

Arriving at Mojo's hideout, the girls wasted no time in diving towards the roof. Just before they crashed through it, though, a panel on the roof slid open, and they ended up passing through the opening harmlessly instead. Mojo was standing next to something draped in a purple curtain, and as Blossom was about to speak, he said, "Save your breath…" and clicked the 'PLAY' button on a tape recorder nearby. The recorder broadcast the girls' voices, saying, 'Not so fast… / …Mojo… / …Jojo!'

Buttercup smirked a little and said, "Looks like you were expecting us…"

"Naturally," he said, "and as such, I had taken proper precautions to avoid further damage to my roof, and to hopefully put an end to your annoying and monotonous entrance phrase that you always speak when barging into my lair, which is to say that you repeat the precise words time and time again, in repetition, and thus…"

"Look who's talking," Blossom interrupted.

Bubbles pushed her way past her sisters and pointed at Mojo, "All right, you! You stole my drawing, and I want it back!"

"Ohhh, you want it _back_, do you?" Mojo said in a mocking tone. "Well…I'll have you know that _I_ enjoy art as well…"

"Really?" Blossom asked.

Mojo nodded, and the curtain he was standing next to slid open, revealing Bubbles' drawing, attached to some machine with a dozen small flamethrower jets pointed at it. He continued, "…I enjoy how _easily_ it can be destroyed!"

Bubbles gasped, and shouted, "NO! You wouldn't!"

"Ahh, but I would!" Mojo said with an evil grin. "I know just how much this is worth, and I demand the money you'd get for it immediately if you want it back!"

"Forget it, Mojo!" Buttercup shouted. "We're not giving you a _cent!_"

Bubbles hesitated, and said, "No…no, we're not, but…don't destroy…"

"Is that your final answer?" he said, hand poised over a button on the device.

"No! I…" Bubbles began, then hung her head slowly and said, "Okay…I'll do it…" She turned around and started hovering back up towards the opening in the roof, while her sisters just stared at her.

Mojo grinned, "Yes! Have the money to me at once, Bubbles, and I shall then turn the picture over to…"

Bubbles suddenly made a surprise move: she spun around and darted towards Mojo while he wasn't expecting it. Mojo's eyes widened as Bubbles sped in his direction, and snapped out of it at the last second…just before Bubbles impacted into him, he swung his fist down at the button with a _*click*_…

"NOO!" Bubbles cried out, knocking him out of the way just an instant too late. The jets turned on, spouting flame across the drawing, and Bubbles watched in shock as it was instantly incinerated. Blossom and Buttercup flew past her, each grabbing hold of one of Mojo's arms to take him into custody, as Bubbles just stared at the pile of ash that was left behind and finally whispered, "…why?…"

"How stupid," Mojo grumbled to himself aloud, "to think that you'd part with an exorbitant about of money just to protect one of your pathetic drawings."

Bubbles whirled to face him in anger, and shouted, "_Pathetic?!_ It's art!!"

"Oh, puh-leeze," he huffed. "I've seen better art stuck to the bottom of my boot." He wrenched one arm free from Blossom's grip and pointed at her, saying, "Your so-called 'art' is ugly, unimaginative, useless, and furthermore, not at all pleasant to look at! Save that pile of ash…it's worth more!"

"That's enough, Mojo," Blossom said, grabbing his arm again and lifting him into the air with Buttercup, "It's off to jail for you, for breaking into the museum. C'mon, Bubbles…" They soared out of the observatory, but Bubbles stared blankly for a few seconds before finally following. _Is…is my art really that bad?_ she thought. _No, he's just a villain, he'd say anything to make me mad…but…what if it's true…?_

**__**

TO BE CONTINUED…


	5. Chapter 5

**__**

Art and Sold

By: Mark J. Hadley

* * *

****

CHAPTER 5

After returning home, Bubbles sat down on the couch in the living room and thought about what Mojo said. So far, no one had said that her drawings were _bad_, so she figured he was just trying to rattle her. A bunch of people _liked_ her work…so what if a few people didn't? Still, she couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't quite right.

As she puzzled over this, the professor walked into the living room. He hesitated when he saw the way Bubbles was brooding and said, "Are you all right, Bubbles?"

"Professor," Bubbles asked, "are my drawings good?"

"Of course they are," the professor nodded. "I think they're splendid…"

Bubbles shook her head, "No, I mean…are they _art_? Are they really good enough to be makin' all this money?"

"Well…" the professor started to say.

Interrupting, Bubbles continued, "…because the girls don't seem to like it, an' Mojo doesn't like it…an' I'm not sure a lot of other people like it, just these art guys…"

"It's all a matter of opinion," the professor told her. "What is art to some isn't to others. 'One man's trash is another man's treasure', as the saying goes."

"But…" Bubbles paused. "I just feel like it's not worth it…I mean, the money's nice and everything, but…I just think everyone would be nicer if my drawings were more like _real_ art…"

The professor sat down on the couch next to her and said, "Sweetie, _anything_ can become art if you put your heart and soul into it. You just have to make sure you don't lose sight of what you're trying to accomplish."

"What do you mean?" Bubbles asked.

"Well, are you trying to create art," the professor explained, "or are you just trying to make money? They're two very different things. Getting someone to enjoy your work enough to pay for it is one thing, but showing your true self and making a lasting impression through your work is something else entirely."

"So…" Bubbles said, thinking, "…if I want to show people the real artist in me, I should try to really do something artistic, not just to make money?"

"That's right," the professor nodded.

Smiling, Bubbles looked off into the air as though lost in thought, "Yes…I could do something big, something to show everyone just what kind of artist I am!" She hugged the professor and said, "Thank you! I'll be back later…"

Flying up off the couch, she headed for the door. The professor curiously asked, "Where are you going?"

"To get some things," Bubbles said with a knowing smile…then she was out the door…

* * *

The man at the factory looked down at the piece of paper that Bubbles had handed him, listing what she needed. He looked a little baffled, and asked, "So you want one canvas…in this size?"

"Yes!" Bubbles said cheerfully. "As soon as possible."

"You gotta be kiddin'," he said. "This'll cost a fortune to make…"

Bubbles wordlessly withdrew a large wad of bills, holding it out. The man took them and thumbed through it, grinning…he finally said, "That'll cover it. We can have it to you by this evening, okay?"

"Okay! I'll be by to pick it up…" Bubbles nodded, then headed off for step two of her plan…

* * *

"The _whole_ warehouse?" the woman at the desk asked incredulously, staring down at Bubbles across from her. "Well, yes…I suppose we could, but…"

"But…?" Bubbles said.

The woman leaned on the desk and said, "Well, first of all, that would be _very_ expensive. And secondly, why would you _need_ them all?"

"It's for a project," Bubbles explained.

The woman shook her head, "That must be some project…"

"Yeah," Bubbles agreed. "Anyway…about the price…" She lifted the briefcase she was carrying with her and set it down on the desk. The woman opened it up, looking at the stacks and stacks of money inside, quickly counting them all with a smile.

Finally, when she was done counting, she leaned back in her chair and said, "All right, we have a deal. Just making sure you know what you're doing."

"Oh, I do," Bubbles assured her…

* * *

Late that night, Bubbles waited until her sisters were asleep, then got up and changed out of her nightgown back into her regular clothes, slipping quietly out the window. She flew away from the house, soaring over Townsville and heading for each of the factories on the outskirts.

The first one had her order. They had to go to some special lengths to assemble it, but the enormous rolled-up package, literally miles long, was ready. She was able to carry it, thanks to her strength. On the second stop, she picked up a gigantic box, as big as a building itself. This one was a bit heavier, but it still wasn't too much of a problem to carry.

Further outside of Townsville was a large grassy area where no one lived. It was perfect to begin her work. It was already pretty late at night, and she figured it would take her a few hours to complete. That was fine; it would still be ready by morning. She carefully set the roll down at the outskirts of the area and started to unroll it…the heavy-duty canvas was huge, covering almost the entire field, but she managed.

Finally, when it was done, she opened up the box and checked the contents: hundreds of thousands of crayons. With a smile, she took an armful of them out and set them to the side of the paper, then looked out across it. Taking a deep breath, she grabbed the crayons and started zipping across the paper, using her superspeed, drawing where she went.

The hours passed, with constant returns to the bin of crayons, until it was completed. She was exhausted from all the work, and rested by the edge for a moment. Next to the bin, a huge pile of paper shavings was all that remained of the crayons. Bubbles thought, _It took forever, but it's finally done…_

She flew high up into the air to get a good look at it, and smiled, clasping her hands in happiness. _My greatest work, _Bubbles thought, _completed!_ She turned and looked over by the horizon, as the sun began to rise across it. _And just in time, the sun's coming up…it's time. Time to show everyone in Townsville just what this artist can do!_

**__**

TO BE CONTINUED…


	6. Chapter 6

**__**

Art and Sold

By: Mark J. Hadley

* * *

****

CHAPTER 6

The City of Townsville awoke with the rising sun…birds were singing, and the steep shadows cast by the sun stretched across the land. The people started to go about their daily business as usual, eating breakfast, heading off to work or school…it was just the beginning of another average day for the citizens.

But then, something changed. A huge shape rose up, towering well, over the city and stretching a long ways up in the air. People froze on the spot and pointed at whatever it was, which slowly cast a shadow across the city, blocking off the morning sun. Everyone was frozen in fear…was another giant monster attacking the city? If so, this was a whopper, bigger than anything that had attacked before.

That's when a familiar voice boomed down from above. It was Bubbles, using her powers to amplify her voice loudly enough so that the entire city could hear. "_Presenting,_" she shouted, "_my greatest masterpiece! I give you…'The People of Townsville'!_" She had completely unfurled the drawing, but it was in shadow because it's back was to the sun…she carried it around to the opposite side of the city, and everyone watched as it came into view.

The absolutely enormous canvas had a very carefully drawn representation of the city of Townsville, much more realistic than her earlier quick drawings. Around the bottom of the drawing were hundreds upon hundreds of people, each of them individually drawn to resemble a person from Townsville. Above the drawn city, a trail of colors showed the Powerpuff Girls flying high above it, smiling down at the people. More so than anything she had drawn before, this one wasn't anything like a simple child's drawing, but instead, a masterwork piece of art.

All across the city, the people ooohed and ahhhed at it. Then an enormous cheer filled the air from everywhere. Bubbles smiled widely as she heard their acclamations. Finally, for once, she felt like she truly accomplished something that no one else had done.

At the Utonium household, Blossom and Buttercup were pressed up against the glass, gazing at the enormous drawing in the distance. "Whoa," Blossom remarked. "Look at the size of it…"

"I take it all back," Buttercup said, impressed for a change. "She did an awesome job at this…I don't even know what to say…"

"Me either," Blossom agreed. "I think we should fly out there and congratulate her, what do you think?"

Nodding, Buttercup said, "Sure!" The two of them left the house and started heading towards Bubbles, who was still holding up the drawing. As they did, Blossom looked strangely at the side of the drawing…Buttercup noticed her stare and said, "What's wrong?"

"Look, it's starting to curl down," Blossom said, pointing to the far corner, which _did_ seem like it was coming down.

"You're right," Buttercup said. "Real slowly though…"

"…or really quickly," Blossom corrected her. "Don't forget how big it is; we're a long ways away from it."

Bubbles didn't seem to notice at first, but then spotted it herself. _I don't want the drawing to get all folded, I'd better straighten it out. _She let go of the center of the paper and flew over to grab the corner…

"What's she _doing?_" Blossom exclaimed. Now that Bubbles wasn't holding the center, the other corner started to fold over quickly. Blossom quickly ordered, "Go for that corner, don't let it fall!"

"Right!" Buttercup shouted back, and the two of them flew to the as fast as they could. Once they reached the paper, they saw how quickly it was really falling…they both flew under to catch it, but had a difficult time doing so. The sheer size and weight of the paper was too much for them.

Bubbles lost her grip on it as well, and cringed as the entire drawing started to fall towards Townsville, covering it like a blanket. She tried to fly under to catch it, but it was still too awkward to stop such a large piece of canvas. It was just too big, so the edges around her continued their fall.

A moment later, it slammed into the topmost buildings of Townsville, actually causing big chunks of brick and metal to break off from them. The citizens all ran for their lives as the debris started to rain on them from above. The entire city was now shrouded in darkness as well. As the rest of it started to settle over the city, more pieces of the buildings started to break off.

The girls regrouped in the center above, and Blossom ordered, "Eyebeams! We have to get rid of this thing before it crushes the city!"

"No!" Bubbles said.

"We _have_ to, Bubbles!" Buttercup exclaimed.

"But…but…" Bubbles protested.

Blossom told her, "I know you worked a long time on this, and it means a lot to you, but if we don't, the whole city could be destroyed! _Then_ what good will the art be?"

After a moment's consideration, she bit her lip, then nodded. All three of them fired their eyebeams down at the drawing, slicing it into pieces and burning most of it off. After a short while, the job was done, and all that remained were a few burnt pieces of paper. Townsville was a little damaged, but it wasn't too bad, all things considering.

Bubbles sighed as she looked at the remains…at least the people got to see it before it was incinerated. But this would still be one heck of a cleanup job…

* * *

"I'm sorry all of your money had to be used up, Bubbles," the professor told her as they sat around the dinner table.

"Yeah," Bubbles said, stirring her food sadly. "With all the money I spent on the stuff for the drawing, an' on repairs for Townsville, I don't have anything left…"

Blossom patted her on the shoulder, "Don't feel too bad about it. At least we got to see your _real _artistic side. You're a true artist, Bubbles."

Bubbles brightened a little, "You really think so?"

"I do too," Buttercup said. "'Course, I think you'd better not make anything like _that_ again for a while…"

Nodding, Bubbles agreed, "You said it. From now on, I'm just gonna stick to plain ol' crayon drawings."

"Still going to sell them?" Blossom asked.

"Nuh-uh," Bubbles said, shaking her head. "The fame was all nice…the money was even nicer…but you were right, I _was_ kinda becoming a little bit full of myself. I don't want the attention anymore, I just want to do my thing an' that's it."

"That's good to hear, Bubbles," the professor said. "I'm glad to see that you've learned a lesson from all this."

Buttercup, in the meantime, was messing around with her food on her plate, arranging a little mound out of the mashed potatoes and sticking vegetables into it. The professor glared at her and said, "Buttercup, stop playing with your food!"

"I'm not playing," she replied. "I'm just expressing my artistic side…" She swiveled the plate around, and revealed the food sculpture she had created. It looked a lot like the professor. The other girls giggled a little, and the professor grinned a little. Buttercup smirked, "Not bad, huh? How much do you think I could get for it?"

"One dessert," the professor offered. "_If_ you eat it." The four of them all laughed at this…as once again, the day was saved, thanks to the Powerpuff Girls!

**__**

THE END


End file.
